Azimov's three laws of robotics state that a robot is unable to harm a human being; is supposed to execute every order given to him by a human as long as it doesn't cause a fundamental contradiction with the first law; and then a robot is supposed to preserve itself, as far as that self-preservation is in terms with the first two laws. Of course, in Azimov's writing, robots have a form of artificial intelligence so the laws are needed in order to preserve the human race against an eventual uprising of the automatons. Humanity is still far, though (as far as I know) from inventing an artificial intelligence so sophisticated that it can pose a threat. However, we do have robots already performing menial tasks for us so it's important to keep the three laws into perspective.
With all of this in mind, I present you the pool cleaning robot – Mirra 530, provided by iRobot. You might know them as the producers of the broadly famous autonomous vacuum and floor cleaners (these are separate types of self-governing cleaning machines), but you will be delighted to hear that they also provide pool cleaning robots, the Mirra 530 being their latest and greatest model, using cutting edge technology (and in terms with the three laws). The folks at iRobot have almost all cleaning covered, although what I am really hoping for is a bathroom cleaning robot. In due time, I guess...
Overview
The Mirra 530 is a refined new member of the robot cleaning family. It uses advanced scanners and algorithms to detect the height, width and length of your pool once you throw it in the water (and I do use the term “throw” loosely – I wouldn't advise you to do that). This is the aptly named iAdapt Nautiq sensory system (I don't get what the deal is with all the small i's in the beginning of the word... Is that some sort of a convoluted marketing decision or...?). It will scan your pool for everything in order to be able to operate properly. After the scanning program is over, Mirra will choose the most efficient cleaning program to use in the interest of saving the largest amount of energy and performing the most effective cleaning in the same time (hm... they've already given it a form of “free will”).
The Cleaning Process
The robot is equipped with a pair of polyvinyl chloride (essentially, fancy plastic) scrubbers with a cylindric form so it can easily clean the floor by rolling all over it. What about the walls? Well, it can do that, too, using its advanced transportation technology, it can move upwards the walls of the pool and clean them, too, although it needs the water to essentially keep balance. The advanced automaton is also equipped with a sophisticated filtration system ,able to detect and contain particles as little as a few microns across, which means it can clean your pool with a level of excellence even its own filtration system can't achieve. The power cord is about 18 meters long which is more than enough to clean even the biggest pool.
The Design
Like all other iRobot designs, the Mirra 530 has a simplistic and functional, yet aesthetically pleasing design. The pricey contraption is small but rather powerful and looks like a children's toy. Don't let its looks fool you, though – underneath the cute exterior, the robot has a really powerful cleaning and filtration system.
Final Thoughts
Ever since I was first introduced to the concept of a robot as a kid, I've thought that automatic units were the future. As time passes, we are getting busier and busier with our everyday lives, so we can't spend that much time on tedious task, such as cleaning, especially something complex and time consuming as cleaning the pool, which is why I think that robots will become more and more popular in the near future.
Connie Smith likes to write about cleaning gadgets. She runs a cleaning agency performing end of tenancy cleaning in Highgate. When she is not at work, she likes to relax in the pool
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